One of the more anticipated haunts this season for us is out in Montgomery, Illinois. Massacre has been around for many seasons now, yet somehow continues to develop in ways that need to be seen in person to be appreciated properly. There are some great people within the haunted house community that we have opportunities to speak with, and they mentioned early on how much Massacre has been revamping. I have to admit, this was one of the most impressive shows we have walked through this season.
The cast at Massacre all seemed well-trained within the attraction and knew their sections well. Inside the attraction, there were plenty of actors during our visit, and they all hit guests multiple times throughout our walkthrough. There was a good deal of actual dialogue throughout our visit, but we still had some actors using a scream or growl if they didn’t have a direct conversation with us.
In the queue, the actors were on point with their dialogue, and everyone enjoyed the banter. One character would open their jacket and attempted to tell all of us everything about the watches that lined up their suit jacket. This actor went above and beyond when it came to performance and was very entertaining. It’s amazing to see a great amount of talent over one roof.
How complete, unique, detailed were the costumes, accessories? – (35% of score)
Were the masks, makeup creative, detailed, realistic? – (30% of score)
How appropriate were the costumes for the respective scenes, themes? – (20% of score)
How believable-, detailed-looking were the queue actors? (See Note if N/A) – (15% of score)
Massacre is known for its highly detailed airbrush makeup. Faces are contoured and distressed while some actors with exposed hands and arms are not forgotten as well. Special contact lenses are also used by the actors along with prosthetic teeth. The costumes are also on point and blend well in the actors’ surroundings. Some actors used face masks that were strategically placed underneath the lines of costumes.
Starting with the queue, Adeline’s character was terrifying. The costume was lacey but tattered, with wild hair and random teeth stuck on throughout. The character had great makeup and contacts and was complete with a pointed hat that matched the whole outfit. Other great characters include great-looking clowns, scary nuns, and even inappropriate priests.
Throughout the haunt, many of the rooms had multiple mannequins wearing identical costumes. The only reason this is brought up is that between those mannequins, there lurked one actor wearing the exact same costume to throw off unsuspecting victims. The best example is the oversized doll room, which turns out to be two different actors blending in different spots. In the last room, multiple old-school ghosts in white sheets are scattered in different spots. The mannequins and actors in the exact costume happened to be the same size, too, which was a real curveball.
In the 3D clown area, the actors wore colorful costumes and makeup that blended well with the UV paint in the scenes. At times, it was difficult to make out if the actors were props.
How easy was it to locate, park at, navigate the premises? – (25% of score)
Safety (Only dock points for TRULY DANGEROUS hazards!) – (30% of score)
How professional, helpful, friendly were the staff members? – (25% of score)
How easy was it to find pertinent information before arrival? – (20% of score)
Massacre regards the safety of both its staff and guests with high regard. There is a security checkpoint upon entering the building, which is positive. The staff were all over and was very helpful in answering questions. The team after the attraction is very friendly. Occasionally, they will give out freebies, which are a good source of information.
Parking is plentiful and directed in front of the attraction, but there is also parking in the back lot that shares this portion with other businesses on the strip the haunt is located on. Massacre has plenty of online presence and shows up for promotions at local events from time to time. Tickets can be purchased online, and it is advised to use that route as this attraction is known to sell out!
How well did the pre-haunt areas ("vibe") prepare you for the attraction/s? – (25% of score)
How obvious, creative, believable was the storyline? (See Note if N/A) – (20% of score)
Were you completely, consistently immersed inside the attraction/s? – (40% of score)
How well did the "vibe" flow after, between the attraction/s? – (15% of score)
Massacre has expanded so much that the queue starts outside and eventually ends inside. Outside is a small midway with a food truck, axe throwing, and escape rooms. There are a ton of queue actors that roam around and offer all sorts of entertainment. Massacre provides free temporary tattoos if you take it in line. Having agreed, I didn’t remember I had a tattoo on my forehead until I stopped at a local sandwich shop afterward and was laughed at and pointed at. Once inside the building, there was a revamp on this as well. They added an insanely impressive DJ booth. The booth is a giant crypt with two angles of death that react to the music at certain times.
It seems as though there is a new direction Massacre is heading in as the crypt DJ booth works with some inside the attraction scenes. One of which looks like an outside cemetery that’s taken over by vampires. Though there is no direct theme, these scenes sort of spill over into multiple rooms and flow greatly. As mentioned, we are at a cemetery complete with crypts, a moonlit night-like presence that flows into a catacombs-like area with several unnerving, wrapped bodies. This flows into a sort of dark nun cult-like area, which eventually leads to a high-ceiling hall with a large Baphomet that commands the room. These scenes are amazing, and again, they flow through each other rather flawlessly.
There are other areas we were familiar with but have gone through a revamp. One great example of this is the haunted house façade. There is a classic-looking haunted house façade complete with jack-o-lanterns in the front yard and well-hidden actors. We have been through this scene plenty of times. However, there were clear updates, such as lighting that made for a rather impressive improvement. There was a moment during our walkthrough where we paused for a quick moment and remained confused with each other as the scenes remained very impressive, almost the same but with different energy. It is clear that Massacre is fine-tuning scenes and has run away with massive improvements in tremendous fashion.
How effective were the sound effects? – (20% of score)
How realistic were the scene designs, details? – (30% of score)
How effective, realistic were the props, animatronics? – (30% of score)
How well did they use creative, special, sensory effects? – (20% of score)
Massacre is a haunt that raises the bar every year, which makes this a hard section since we cannot talk about everything here without giving spoilers. We will be posting a video walkthrough coming up for this 2024 season, so be on the lookout for it on The Scare Factor YouTube channel.
The one room we like to call the Bill Cosby living room has been revamped and no longer has his picture frame on display, but it has been replaced by someone else who is well-loved. The Christmas tree has been axed and is now occupied by a vintage tube TV displaying a well-known horror movie scene. Multiple female mannequin props with long black hair are positioned all over the room, some in very unnerving positions.
Air cannons are used throughout unsuspecting areas. The walls are highly detailed, and the cramped rooms trigger claustrophobia. We noticed a few rooms now have carpet to fit respective scenes, such as the exorcism living room and the newly updated doll room.
The 3D clown section has UV-painted walls and floors, which the use of 3D glasses effectively enhances. Props are set up to match the 3D color scheme as well. The props used, such as deformed clowns and rabid rabbits, are enormous and disturbing together.
How scary was it? – (35% of score)
How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? – (15% of score)
How predictable were the scares? – (25% of score)
How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? – (10% of score)
How strong was the ending / finale? – (15% of score)
When a veteran team member states in the middle of a haunt attraction, “That’s enough, already,” it’s grounds for being one of the highest-scoring attractions on our list! Outside of the attraction, actors approached guests and provided them with fancy face paint or even tattoos on their foreheads (that’s the treatment we received). The approach leaves some uneased in the queue as they see certain drawings on others. Inside the attraction, actors were spot on with their scares. There was one moment when an actor had three opportunities to scare and hit each one of us. Their reaction to their accomplishment was saying, “Really? All three times?”
Props are well-disguised to blend into scenes and it’s difficult to assume what may be an actor or a prop, allowing for great pop-up scares. There are multiple scenes with this idea, including the ghost’s rooms toward the end, the doll room in the middle, and the cult-like figures also near the middle of the haunt. Scares were hit on each of us, which was great. Normally, there is a single target, or the first person in line is the more likely to get hit, but here, there were plenty of times rooms felt chaotic, and everyone was hit at some point. It can be difficult to maintain this; however, it seems to be a steady accomplishment for the team at Massacre.
How satisfied with the entertainment provided by the MAIN attraction/s? – (50% of score)
How satisfied with OTHER entertainment INCLUDED with the ticket price? – (25% of score)
How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s? – (25% of score)
With some additional areas and a ton of new features to see, our walkthrough time came out to 33 minutes. With tickets starting at $35, our Minute Per Dollar value becomes .94. This is an amazing value considering the quality of this attraction. Again, it’s not every day we walk through a location, and about halfway through, one of our team members states, “That’s enough,” referring to the scares!
The night of our visit, everyone was high energy and gave us a run for our money. What an incredible show this season. There have been some rumors about potential changes in the upcoming seasons, and this is exciting overall. Massacre has been on an uptick in our book, and I dare to say this has been one of its best seasons yet!
299 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, Illinois 60538